-If Government were bound by the same Actuarial requirements of private industry ERISA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employ...e_Security_Act), requiring a 7 year pay back of unfunded liability (maybe we could require that), we would have to declare bankruptcy. We could then do as Stockton and San Bernardino did and rescind retiree medical and cut Rod Doles $500 Million of Pension Obligation Bonds to pennies on the dollar. Do what United Airlines did with Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation and cap the retirements to $43,000? Thus far pension reform in California is losing the court battles (as the judges also have skin in the game). Presently we have $400 Million Unfunded Liability, $500 Million in Pension Obligation Bonds and $300 Million in unfunded retiree medical---this supposedly will be paid back at 7.5% interest over the next 20-30 years (ain't gonna happen).
In lieu of the above, we are on the hook, and have to reduce the payroll and benefits of Sonoma County as best we can:
-$17,000,000 overtime for the Sheriff's Department...reduce this by helping our Deputy Sheriff's (and jail staff) spend more time with their families with Project Safe Zone (combination of private security, volunteers, technology, working together to protect our communities), "observe and report but do not engage." similar to other areas of the country and Sea Ranch. Restorative justice as alternatives to incarceration, homeless camps and more affordable housing, with services to reduce the 30% in the jail mentally ill and all the ambulance calls. Decriminalize drugs treating them less as a crime and more as an illness. Home incarceration and monitoring in lieu of jail with ankle bracelets and technology. Some have suggested as they do in Germany and England cameras to catch speeder's (I'm not there yet.)
-More and more groups like Stewards of the Coast and Slavianka, taking over all the multi-jurisdictional responsibilities taking care of the Coast--- State Parks have a huge budget for the Coast and they can't even maintain a port-a-let with closed trails and people going to the restroom outside. Non-profits including Surfriders working to help lifeguards, shared maintenance of public facilities, volunteers staffing campgrounds (as Stewards do now with $50/day stipend for Bull Frog pond to volunteers), internet access at the Coast to compete with private campgrounds/RV parks.
-Senior centers with Uber type transit service where we increase their funding overseeing better rural mass transit and rideshares. Technology...more resource and volunteers to libraries.
-Workfare similar to what COTS (Committee on The Shelterless) are doing in Petaluma (love to see them take over county-wide efforts. Camps for the homeless with supervision and services to give them a hand up. $150,000/winter at Guerneville vets with a room with 20 1/2" foam pads and no pillows-let them in at 5:00pm and kick-em out at 7:00am, then their shuffling around the community like Zombieland, is inhumane and doesn't work for me...Housing First...give people a place to stay 24 hrs a day and help them get back on their feet. Utilize Chanate campus and Sonoma Development Center, again with volunteers and nonprofits as we can no longer afford the County to staff these endeavors.
-Roads, let people fix their own roads with licensed contractors without charging them $1000's of dollars for encroachment permits, free permits and tell them we're grateful you're fixing our roads (like they do in Napa). Allow business to sponsor road repairs... there are a couple hundred miles of little used and dead end roads out there we should allow homeowners to create an association and put a gate on.
Look at the top 500 salaries with benefits of Sonoma County on www.transparentcalifornia.com ... if we can't reduce the pension debacle (I've tried without success, with many others for eight years, and the costs keep going up and up while we reduce all the services), we need to reinvent government with using the resources a lot more with volunteers, non-profits, faith based groups and private business.
There are a lot of ways we can do this...and most of the Supervisorial candidates are providing some great ideas...with the exception of one...who I believe is partially responsible for a lot of the mess we're in right now.
OK...that's it for now...